VIDEO: Have a snoop around a £399,950 village bungalow with space and light

SPACE and light are notable features of this surprising four-bedroomed bungalow in Horsley.

It's the home of sales manager Andrea Fretwell and her engineer husband, Adam Clarke, who have spent the past three years extending, modernising and putting their own unique stamp on the property.

Andrea says: "We built an extension onto the rear to make the most of the fact that it's south-facing."

The double-height extension features striking floor-to-ceiling windows which, says Andrea, "make the most of the sun and the views down the big, long garden, which is not overlooked".

The top of the garden is terraced and the couple have created vegetable plots ready to be planted, while the lower part is a paddock with some fruit trees.

Inside, the bungalow has been completely redesigned by Andrea and Adam.

"It had a small kitchen, small dining room and small lounge, so we moved all the internal walls to make better use of the space and create an open plan living area. With the extension, it has created one big, open space and a really social house."

The couple also created an en suite shower room off the master bedroom and refitted the family bathroom with a three-piece white suite.

A distinctive feature of the main living area is the sunken lounge with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves at one end. It's from here that you can sit and enjoy the views down the garden, through the double-height floor-to-ceiling windows.

The fact that the lounge is on a lower level makes it feel cosy, says Andrea, but when entertaining you can still chat to guests while cooking a few steps above in the luxury refitted kitchen.

The décor creates quite a few talking points and Andrea admits that it's "a little eccentric" due to one of her hobbies.

"I'm a bit of a collector," she says. "I'm always on the lookout at antique fairs and on eBay. I collect vintage clothing, I have quite a few vintage uniforms and I love anything different."

There's a patriotic feel to the décor, too.

"When we were decorating it was the jubilee year so we went with that theme; I have some maps of Commonwealth countries as well, so I suppose the theme is Best of British."

After putting so much work into remodelling the house and decorating it to their tastes, you'd expect Andrea and Adam to be reluctant to leave it behind. On the contrary, moving house is another of Andrea's passions.

"I love moving," she says. "As soon as a house is done, I want to move again. I've moved five times in about 10 years.

"But I will miss it. I love the open plan, the space; the way it's planned works really well. I'll really miss the double-height lounge.

"And, of course, it's a lovely area. Horsley has a nice feel to it, I'm told it's a very good school, there are lots of lovely walks nearby and it's quite easy to get on and off the motorway, even though you feel like you're in the heart of the countryside."

Andrea is keen for people to go and have a look and see for themselves just how spacious the bungalow really is.

She says: "From the road it might not look much but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye."

WHERE: 74 Church Street, Horsley

TYPE: Four-bedroomed bungalow

PRICE: £399,950

AGENT: Scargill Mann

PHONE: 01332 207720